Source: Internet Archive
Gordon MacRae and Dorothy Warenskjold.
The Railroad Hour was a 30-minute program, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads, that aired on NBC Radio from 1948 to 1954. The program featured musical plays, or mini-operettas — a mix of originals and condensed versions of Broadway musicals — starring program host Gordon MacRae (1921–1986) with a variety of musical guest stars.
Broadcast on The Radio Hour on 24 September 1951, “The Emperor of San Francisco” is an original musical play written and composed by the songwriting team of Jerome Lawrence (1915–2004) and Robert Edwin Lee (1918–1994). This charming play — which includes traditional folk songs interspersed with originals by Lawrence and Lee — reimagines Emperor Norton’s death as the denouement of a tale of the years-long unrequited love of the Emperor, played by MacRae, for an opera singer played by opera, concert and recording artist Dorothy Warenskjold (1921–2010).
The instrumentalists are the Carmen Dragon Orchestra.
The chorus is the Norman Luboff Choir.
Sponsor Association of American Railroads
Run time 29:47
Original air date 24 September 1951
Written and composed by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee
CREW
Gordon MacRae Host
Marvin Miller Announcer
Carmen Dragon Musical director
Norman Luboff Choir director
Warren Barker Musical arranger
Carl Brandt Musical arranger
John Caper Musical arranger
Will Vitell Musical arranger
CAST
Gordon MacRae Emperor Norton
Dorothy Warenskjold Countess Esterhazy
Jerry Hausner Supporting actor
Lamont Johnson Supporting actor
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